[Home care service at the division of general medicine in Jichi Medical University Hospital--the terminal stage cancer patient's care in the past 3 years].

We have provided a home care service for the past 20 years as a part of our community medical program at the Division of General Medicine in Jichi Medical University Hospital (JMUH). We reflected our activities of the past 3 years since 2004, and considered our meanings of home care service at the University Hospital. Especially, we reported on terminal stage cancer patients who died in the past 3 years. We normally visit about 10 homes of our patients who live near the University Hospital. There has been a decreasing trend toward a regular home visit by doctor, but an emergency visit has been increasing. Further more, we visited many elderly cerebral vascular patients in the past. However, many terminal stage cancer patients have now been requesting us to visit their homes. A total of 17 patients died in the past 3 years: 10 of 17 patients died at their homes, and 6 of them were terminal stage cancer patients who died at their homes.

Effectiveness of music therapy: a summary of systematic reviews based on randomized controlled trials of music interventions.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review was to summarize evidence for the effectiveness of music therapy (MT) and to assess the quality of systematic reviews (SRs) based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs). STUDY DESIGN: An SR of SRs based on RCTs. METHODS: Studies were eligible if they were RCTs. Studies included were those with at least one treatment group in which MT was applied. We searched the following databases from 1995 to October 1, 2012: MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Web of Science, Global Health Library, and Ichushi-Web. We also searched all Cochrane Database and Campbell Systematic Reviews up to October 1, 2012. Based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, we identified a disease targeted for each article. RESULTS: Twenty-one studies met all inclusion criteria. This study included 16 Cochrane reviews. As a whole, the quality of the articles was very good. Eight studies were about "Mental and behavioural disorders (F00-99)"; there were two studies on "Diseases of the nervous system (G00-99)" and "Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-99)"; and there was one study each for "Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-90)", "Diseases of the circulatory system (I00-99)", and "Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O60)". MT treatment improved the following: global and social functioning in schizophrenia and/or serious mental disorders, gait and related activities in Parkinson's disease, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. CONCLUSION: THIS COMPREHENSIVE SUMMARY OF SRS DEMONSTRATED THAT MT TREATMENT IMPROVED THE FOLLOWING: global and social functioning in schizophrenia and/or serious mental disorders, gait and related activities in Parkinson's disease, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. MT may have the potential for improving other diseases, but there is not enough evidence at present. Most importantly, no specific adverse effect or harmful phenomenon occurred in any of the studies, and MT was well tolerated by almost all patients.